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Chapter 73
At that very moment, Taibern was scouring the information guilds with his adjutant.
The intelligence gathered from the Del Trading Company alone wasn’t enough.
Contamination sources could appear anywhere, so he was investigating reports of strange phenomena.
Among those, the region with the highest concentration of anomalies was the East.
Plants were overgrowing, animals were breaking away from their usual patterns—herd animals suddenly living solitary lives, or solitary creatures behaving the opposite way. Herbivores turning carnivorous, and so on.
Individually, these might have seemed like trivial oddities, but taken together, they looked undeniably abnormal.
Taibern rubbed his eyebrow with a fingernail. Of course, assuming that these alone meant a contamination source was forming in the East might be an overreach.
But…
“This won’t be the end, Lord Taibern.”
He couldn’t ignore Lani’s heartfelt warning. Having entered and returned alive from a contamination source himself, Taibern agreed with her.
“More sources will appear, and they’ll spread wider.”
“I think so too.”
“…Aren’t you curious how I know?”
“Don’t you think it’s a little late to be asking such questions?”
“That’s true, isn’t it!”
Lani had added a comment about the East as well:
“It’s a little disappointing, honestly. It would be nice if we could recover all our investments from the East, but I don’t think that’ll be possible.”
Taibern recalled that conversation as his lips moved.
“Is this everything we have on the East?”
“Yes, Lord Taibern.”
“From now on, any reports from the East are to be brought to me immediately.”
“Understood.”
Taibern stepped out of the information guild. Even after visiting every guild in the capital, he remained dissatisfied.
He couldn’t simply deploy the army stationed in the North either—moving troops always required legitimate justification.
It would be nice to prepare in advance, but trials always crept in unannounced and struck from behind.
“Do you believe a contamination source will emerge in the East, my lord?”
The adjutant asked gravely. Taibern glanced at him and replied:
“I’m only considering the possibility. Don’t look so grim. The war just ended, didn’t it?”
“…There has never once been a contamination source in the East. They have always been concentrated in the North. If one could appear elsewhere…”
The adjutant’s face drained of color.
“The East is an undefended city of tourism. It would be wiped out.”
“You’re thinking too far ahead.”
Taibern patted his adjutant’s shoulder. But as he turned his head away, his eyes had sharpened like those of a battlefield commander.
“Something has begun to change.”
He had the ominous feeling that the corrupted World Tree could never be restored. Stroking his chin with his fingers, Taibern muttered inwardly.
They said even if the sky falls, there’s always a crack to crawl through. He had better find that opening.
* * *
A banquet was being held at House Katieron. Every invitee attended without fail.
They were curious about the family’s inner affairs after the estate had long been closed, and wanted to see with their own eyes if Taibern was truly alive.
On top of that, rumors about the duchess abounded.
People wondered how the banquet could be managed without a hostess, and since the Emperor and Empress themselves would be attending, the crowds were inevitable.
For the past week, talk of the Katieron banquet had consumed the capital.
“Wow! Truly magnificent. I visited Katieron long ago, but this doesn’t compare at all.”
“They say there’s no duchess—whose handiwork is this?”
“What on earth happened in the last three years behind those closed doors?”
Guests whispered as they toured the gardens and splendid ballroom, which were open for the evening.
“I heard all of the Katieron heirs are attending tonight? I’m excited. Even if young Lord Karte was handed over to the imperial family, the eldest son is still here, isn’t he?”
“He’s the son of a maid, though.”
“So what? He’s still a Katieron.”
Everyone entered with their own expectations, fantasies, and ambitions.
Among the hosts present were Taibern, Karte, Sornya, and lastly, Hider—though not Herden.
“My word. Who is that boy? Wait, is he even a boy? He looks just like Lord Taibern!”
“That must be young Master Hider!”
Noblewomen gasped in admiration.
The grown Hider had a presence enough to captivate young ladies of his age group. As the guests found their seats, the imperial family arrived: the Emperor, Empress, and Princess Siela.
“Truly, you have come. It’s an honor.”
“There’s a sharpness in your words, Taibern. But indeed, you have every right to host this yourself. The Empress has been praising you nonstop.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. And Your Majesty the Empress.”
Lady Luisel blushed and smiled.
“You tell everything, don’t you? Hmph. Who were the interior decorator and sculptor? Will you tell me later, Taibern? I’d love our imperial halls adorned like this.”
It was the highest praise from the proud Empress. Taibern replied with a hint of regret.
“The household staff devoted three years of effort to this. They said they would never do it again.”
Just as he and Lani had agreed beforehand.
“Oh my. Servants with such aesthetic sense? That’s a great loss to the Empire’s arts.”
The Empress sighed with genuine regret, but it was clear Taibern had no intention of lending them out. She chose not to press further.
“Thank you for inviting us to such a beautiful hall.”
“I’m grateful you came. Ah, here is Siela—your candidate for granddaughter-in-law.”
Princess Siela gave a sulky greeting. In truth, she hadn’t wanted to come at all.
She had no desire to see the foolish Karte, nor the boastful Sornya. The Empress had coaxed her relentlessly until she gave in.
That was when Hider caught her eye. Siela’s eyes widened.
“But Duke Taibern, who is that boy?”
“Ah.”
Hider had never once appeared in society. Kiera had deliberately hidden him, and at fourteen—the usual debut age—the ducal house had been sealed.
Thus, this banquet marked his first official debut.
Siela’s eyes sparkled.
Taibern straightened proudly. Though Hider could not speak, he was already a Sword Master at only sixteen—a grandson to be proud of.
“My first grandson, Your Highness. He’s just turned sixteen.”
“Oh… I see…”
She had heard of him from Karte, who spoke of him only with disdain. But Karte had never mentioned that Hider was this handsome.
The only thing Karte had admitted was that Hider was tall—but standing next to him now, Karte looked small and unimpressive. And Hider’s face almost seemed to shine.
“How can a person look like that?”
Princess Siela swallowed hard.
“He’s truly handsome.”
“He’s the spitting image of me, isn’t he?”
Taibern chuckled proudly.
Siela couldn’t take her eyes off him. She wanted to get close.
No—if possible, she wanted to marry Hider.
Smiling brightly, Siela said:
“This must be his first time at such an event. I should go introduce myself!”
She strode off excitedly, and the Emperor narrowed his eyes.
Of course, Hider had the kind of looks that caught Siela’s attention, who adored beauty.
But the problem was that Hider was Taibern’s cherished grandchild. If Siela caused trouble between Hider and Karte, Taibern would hardly welcome it.
The Emperor dismissed the thought lightly.
“It won’t be a big deal.”
But who knew how far the issue might spread.
